As have many of our finest
musicians, James started out in the church choir where his father was a deacon.
He taught himself to play piano at an early age. Although he was a gifted
athlete, James decided to focus on music, and he moved to Los Angeles to pursue
his dreams.
As a young man, James joined a band
called Revelation Funk and recorded a song featured in the movie “Dolemite.” He
subsequently played piano for Ray Charles and appeared as a member of a support
band for Dick Clark. Later, he was discovered by Quincy Jones and asked to
perform “One Hundred Ways” and “Just Once” on Quincy’s 1981 album “The Dude” and
so became an overnight sensation.
James performed duets with such
distinguished singers as Patti Austin, Linda Ronstadt, Anita Baker, and Michael
McDonald. He appeared on several works of other artists and brought the voice
that only he could bring. He appeared in three films and made numerous
television appearances. He co-wrote several songs that became popular for other
artists, such as Michael Jackson’s “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” from 1984.
James won two Grammy Awards for “One
Hundred Ways” (1982) and “Yah Mo B There” (1985) (and was nominated for twelve
others). He was nominated for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards.
He had many hits on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot R&B, and Pop charts,
including “I Don’t Have the Heart” (1983), his only solo venture to make it to
number 1.
Although we primarily knew James as a singer with a beautiful voice, he was also a talented songwriter, producer, and instrumentalist. All of these talents made him one of the greats, and he will truly be missed.
James Edward
Ingram [02/16/1952 – 01/29/2019]
©
01/30/2019
